See amazing photos of hurricanes

July 13, 2012 8:22 AM

View of the eyewall of w:Hurricane Katrina taken on August 28, 2005, as seen from NOAA WP-3D Orion hurricane hunter aircraft before the storm made landfall on the United States Gulf Coast.

View of the eyewall of w:Hurricane Katrina taken on August 28, 2005, as seen from NOAA WP-3D Orion hurricane hunter aircraft before the storm made landfall on the United States Gulf Coast.

Photo: NOAA

View of the eyewall of w:Hurricane Katrina taken on August 28,... Photo-3190188.45874 - Houston Chronicle

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Two hours after the National Hurricane Center issued their warning, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured this image from NASA’s Terra satellite at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time. The massive storm covers much of the Gulf of Mexico, spanning from the U.S. coast to the Yucatan Peninsula.

Two hours after the National Hurricane Center issued their warning, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured this image from NASA’s Terra satellite at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight

Two hours after the National Hurricane Center issued their... Photo-3190187.45874 - Houston Chronicle

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As Hurricane Ivan's sustained 200 kilometer per hour winds wreaked havoc in the Caribbean, the swirling eye of the hurricane was photographed on September 11, 2004 from aboard the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) at an altitude of about 230 miles. Rotated 180 degrees to give more of a visual clue that we're above it.

As Hurricane Ivan's sustained 200 kilometer per hour winds wreaked havoc in the Caribbean, the swirling eye of the hurricane was photographed on September 11, 2004 from aboard the orbiting International Space

The image shows the eye of Hurricane Wilma passing over the island of Cozumel in the Quintana Roo state of Mexico.

The image shows the eye of Hurricane Wilma passing over the island of Cozumel in the Quintana Roo state of Mexico.

Photo: NOAA

The image shows the eye of Hurricane Wilma passing over the island... Photo-3190178.45874 - Houston Chronicle

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Hurricane Ike over Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Ike was a strong Category 2 storm when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image at 12:05 p.m. CDT on September 12, 2008. The massive storm was already starting to pound the Texas and Louisiana coast with high winds and battering waves, even though the eye of the storm remained well off shore. The National Hurricane Center forecast that the storm’s center would come ashore immediately west of Houston late on September 12 or early September 13.

Hurricane Wilma was a powerful Category 5 storm when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this image at 12:40 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on October 19, 2005. Less than 24 hours before this image was taken, Wilma had rapidly grown into a record-breaking, powerful storm. Winds around the eyewall of the storm were raging at 280 kilometers per hour (175 miles per hour). Just hours before, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aircraft measured a record-low air pressure of 882 millibars in the center of Hurricane Wilma, making it the most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin. Wilma also broke records for the fastest development of a storm, going from tropical storm status to Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides this image at additional resolutions.

Hurricane Wilma was a powerful Category 5 storm when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this image at 12:40 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on October 19,

Hurricane Irene strengthened on its path toward the continental United States in late August 2011. Residents of the U.S. East Coast braced for the first hurricane to seriously threaten the country in three years, Voice of America reported.

Hurricane Irene strengthened on its path toward the continental United States in late August 2011. Residents of the U.S. East Coast braced for the first hurricane to seriously threaten the country in three

The MODIS sensor aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Hurricane Charley on August 13 at 12:35 p.m. EDT. At the time this image was taken Charley was rapidly gaining strength and would reach category 4 status just 90 minutes later. Maximum sustained winds at 2:00 p.m. were at 145 mph and Charley was moving towards the north-northeast at 20 mph.

The MODIS sensor aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Hurricane Charley on August 13 at 12:35 p.m. EDT. At the time this image was taken Charley was rapidly gaining strength and would

The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Hurricane Ivan on September 5, 2004 at 13:30 UTC (9:30 AM EDT). At the time this image was taken Ivan was located approximately 1670 km (1040 miles) east of the Windward Islands and was moving towards the west near 33 km/hr (21 mph). Ivan had maximum sustained winds near 140 km/hr (85 mph) with higher gusts. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions and formats.

This photo of Hurricane Frances was taken by Astronaut Mike Fincke aboard the International Space Station as he flew 230 statute miles above the storm at about 9 a.m. CDT Friday, Aug. 27, 2004. At the time, Frances was located 820 miles east of the Lesser Antilles in the Atlantic Ocean, moving west-northwest at 10 miles per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. Fincke, the NASA ISS Science Officer and Flight Engineer, and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka are in the fifth month of a six-month flight aboard the Station.

This photo of Hurricane Frances was taken by Astronaut Mike Fincke aboard the International Space Station as he flew 230 statute miles above the storm at about 9 a.m. CDT Friday, Aug. 27, 2004. At the time,

IN SPACE - SEPTEMBER 11: In this handout from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Ike appears as a large and powerful storm as it churns in the Gulf of Mexico September 11, 2008. Hundreds of thousands of people on the Texas coastline have reportedly fled as Ike moves toward the coast. less

IN SPACE - SEPTEMBER 11: In this handout from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Ike appears as a large and powerful storm as it churns in the Gulf of Mexico September 11, ... more

Photo: Handout, .

IN SPACE - SEPTEMBER 11: In this handout from the National Oceanic... Photo-3056282.45874 - Houston Chronicle

This NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 at 12:00 AM EDT shows few clouds in the east as high pressure builds in the region. In the Caribbean, Hurricane Rina threatens the Yucatan Peninsula. (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND) less

This NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 at 12:00 AM EDT shows few clouds in the east as high pressure builds in the region. In the Caribbean, Hurricane Rina threatens the Yucatan Peninsula. (AP ... more

SEPTEMBER 6: In this satellite handout from NOAA, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee is seen over the eastern U.S. after having been absorbed by a frontal system as Hurricane Katia churns in the Atlantic September 6, 2011 from space. As the remnants of Lee is dumping rains along the Eastern U.S., prompting flood watches, Katia churns in the Atlantic ocean as a Category 3 storm, although it is not expected to make landfall. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images) less

SEPTEMBER 6: In this satellite handout from NOAA, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee is seen over the eastern U.S. after having been absorbed by a frontal system as Hurricane Katia churns in the Atlantic ... more

Photo: Handout

SEPTEMBER 6: In this satellite handout from NOAA, the remnants of... Photo-1579596.45874 - Houston Chronicle

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This NASA image obtained September 2, 2011 shows tropical storm Katia gathering energy over the Atlantic Ocean when one of the Expedition 28 crew took this photo on August 31, 2011, from aboard the International Space Station. The picture, taken with a 12-mm focal length, was captured at 14:09:01 GMT. Later in the day Katia was upgraded to hurricane status. Two Russian spacecraft -- a Progress and a Soyuz --can be seen parked at the orbital outpost on the left side of the frame. The weather service is monitoring the strengthening of Hurricane Katia, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm earlier in the week but regained hurricane status September 2, 2011 after passing over warmer water. less

This NASA image obtained September 2, 2011 shows tropical storm Katia gathering energy over the Atlantic Ocean when one of the Expedition 28 crew took this photo on August 31, 2011, from aboard the ... more